Sheridan High School - Bronc Yearbook (Sheridan, WY)

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THE OCKSHKPERIDA 5 f t the road's property which was put in his care; so now he watched this intruder rather doubtfully. Hut the young fellow immediately handed him the piece of paper which he had in his hand when he boarded the train. He explained that he had been sent to help McCrag out a little; also that he had made a mistake in the schedule and had nearly been left behind. McCrag looked over the slip of paper and seeing that it was duly signed by 'T. B.,’ the general manager, said that he was glad he had made connections all right, and showed him where to begin work. The stranger set to work with so much care and accuracy that McCrag thought he had a fine fellow to help him; but he could not help turning every few minutes to see what the fellow was doing. The stranger apparently did not notice this, but went on with his work as if nothing had happened. Occasionally, he would cast sly glances at te safe, the door of which stood ajar; and once, while piling a couple of trunks near the safe, he noticed several canvas bags with government reals on them. Evidently there was a shipment of gold going to the Denver mint. Just then the train stopped, or merely hesitated long enough to dump off a trunk and let a passenger fall ofT the best way he could. After we had got pretty well underway aagin. McCrag felt a vice-like grip on each of his aims and in another second he was lying flat cn his back on the car floor and his helper was neatly tying him hand and foot. This done, he proceeded as calmly as ever to gag him and secure him to a large trunk. When he thought he had him tied securely, be went through his pockets for safety and removed all of his weapons. Then he opened the empty siit-case and fllljd it with the canvas bags out of the safe. When he hda put in all that his suitcase would hold without looking too heavy, he went out at the end door and rode the blind until the train started to slow up, going up a real steep grade, and then he jumped and disappeared among the shadows. Just at that m ment a whistle was heard and Slim started for his engine to prepare to pull the passenger out. “Well, they never caught their man. he shouted, as he passed the shanty on his way to the depot. + + + THE VILLAGE CRIMINAL. + ------------------------ • + By a Sophomore. 4 + + + + + + {- + + + + + + The old milk wag n rattled down the hill and struck the bridge with a vicious bump, then stopped with a suddenness that threw Uncle Jake, the driver, forward upon his knees. Uncle Jake had fit in the war from beginnin' to end” and four years of camp life had not softened his temper or reduced his supply of profane words. Now he saw no reason for restraining himself, and so the fresh morning air was treated to a perfect stream of vile words. Through it all, the old horse, who by some freak of the imagination had been named Glory, stood unmoved with ears pricked forward knowingly. So the old man got down stiffly and went arcund to his horse’s head, grumbling irritably to himself all the while. One plank of the bridge was torn up and displaced. As he was dragging it back, he saw an open knife lying just beyond the broken place. When he stooped to pick ft up, he noticed that the blade was covered with blood, and cn the bridge there was more blood and signs of a struggle. Old Jake's imagination, which had had dull fond since he had begun to drive the milk wagon, was at once filled with an hundred dire possibilities, and he decided that there had been a fight—perhaps a murder! He examined the knife more closely and on the handle found the initials, A. B.” “Why, that must be Abe Benton, thought Uncle Jake, and he suddenly remembered several things which Abe had said to him in the last week, which would lead one to suppose that he had terrible plans in his mind. True, Uncle Jake had looked upon them as jokes at the time: but now they had a new and terrible meaning. It aroused his fighting blood to think about it, and he decided instantly what he must do—arouse the village, and get the constable on the murderer’s track. A moment later, everyone in the village was awakened by the sound of rattling milk cans and the inartic date, b’ood-curd-ling yells of someone who was driving down the street at full speed. Those who

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4 THE OCKSHEPERIDA don’t want to leave school in the middle of our last year. If we could only borrow a little to put us through, we could pay it back with interest in the summer, but we can’t borrow of anyone else if you won’t trust us.” “There is no need of borrowing,” said Mr. Stone. “I have made a comfortable, honest living without any book learning outside of what I got in the grammar school, and I reckon you can, too.” And with that, he strode out of the room. Is'nt he the tightest, meanest old skinflint you ever saw? exclaimed Ben. Now, don’t call me down for saying such things, but I really don’t see how you can take it so calmly.” There's no use raving about it,” said Arthur. We've got to do something immediately or give up school for this year. We may as well say no more about it tonight, but in the morning we’ll go and have a look at that disreputable pasture.” Well,” said Ben, I suppose we will have to give up and go to clearing the old field, but I can’t say that 1 relish finishing with next year's class.” He wandered restlessly around the room for a minute or two and then settled down to read the papers with his cousin. Well, well, listen here,” he exclaimed suddenly, “in this advertisement, a Boston merchant says he wants all the Christmas trees he can get from any part of the country. I wish he had some of those from Uncle Harvey’s back pasture; there are thousands of them there that would make beautiful Christmas trees.” I have it, cried Arthur, springing up, “lets cut a lot of them and ship them to him. It would be a splendid wav to get the money we want so badly.” But it seems like such a long way to ship them—all the way from Maine to Boston.” That isn't far,” said Arthur. and now that I think of it. Mr. Gleason shipped some three years ago and said it paid him better than anything he had ever tried. We have a week to work and still have time for them to reach Boston before Christmas. Oh. I think it is tne finest plan ” During the remainder of the evening the boys were busily occupied in planning ways and means for the enterprise, and calculating profits. Early next morning they shouldered their axe3 and started off to the pasture with revived spirits and soaring hopes. All week long they labored early and late. Although by the end of the week they had ceased to count the blisters on their hands, they were still counting and glorying in their anticipated wealth; and it was with happy hearts that they drove homeward after loading the last shapely little evergreen in the car. On Christmas day they received the payment for the shipment and found that after they had paid their uncle for his share, they would have more than enough to meet their expenses for the rest of the school year. “I certainly feel like I’m saying Merrie Christmas' in all sincerity today,” said Ben. as he waved the precious slip of paper over his head, but one thing I regret, and that is, that I won’t be here to see Uncle Harvey when he hears about it.” + + + THE LONE ROBBER. + + ---------------------- ♦ •b By Clifford Goodnight, 11. + + + ❖ ❖ ❖ A few of the old railroaders were lined up around the stove in the car-tink's shanty, telling stories of their experiences in earlier days. Finally Slim Perkins, one of the favorites among the men. spoke up, and said, “I believe I have one that will beat all the rest of yours by a mile. They all sat up and listened, for Slim usually told a fairly good story, if ha once got started. “It was on the N. P., in the spring of 1900,” he began. I was holding down the right hand side of the cab of old 244, and was pulling one of the road’s crack fliers through the Rockies. We had just started out of the station when a young fellow came running up, with a suitcase in one hand and a piece of paper in the other. He threw his suitcase through the express door which McCrag had not yet closed, and then jumped in himself, which is quite a stunt when the train is in motion. “McCrag was small, but rather muscular and was one of the best men in the employ of the road. He was always careful

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(5 THE OCKSHEPERIDA rushed to their windows saw the wagon draw up in front of the constable's house and the man to run up the walk and to pound on the door. By the time John Andrews, the constable, and Uncle Jake came running back, the street was full of half-dressed men, women and children—all demanding to know what was wrong. Receiving no reply, they followed the two men down to the bridge, and there Uncle Jake explained all that he knew about it. The crowd was horror-stricken at this charge against their old neighbor, and at first refused to believe it. But the evidence seemed so strong that one by one they began to add things which he had said and done lately that would lead one to suspect that he intended to do something like this. “I recollect now,” said old Pete Sanders, thoughtfully, as how he says to me t'other day into Dolan's, says he, ‘Seems as though I got to do somethin' desp'rate pretty soon seein's Ihain't done nothin’ for so long.’ Yessir, them’s his very words.” At any other time they would have laughed at this as one of Abe’s good-natured threats about going to work, but now everyone saw it in a different light. By this time the wild-lojking procession had reached Dolan’s general store, and the constable, who had not spoken a word since he heard the news, mounted a chair which stood outside the door. He rapped on the wall for silence, and then in a few short words he stated the case, and asked for volunteers to help search for Abe Benton. As he spoke his lips drew tight, and several of the older people in tne crowd remarked that he and Abe had been schoolboys together. But John Andrews had become the constable, highly respected by all his neighbors, and Abe Benton became known as the laziest man in the village. So John resclved to do his duty even in the case of his friend. A half dozen men had volunteered, and the constable had stepped down from the chair, when someone asked, Who was it?” “Who was it?” a dozen voices echoed, “why, Abe Benton!” “I know.” said the first speaker, “but whom did he kill?” Everyone looked at everyone else, and all were silent. This was a point they had overlooked. Just then the telephone inside the store rang and Mr. D;lan lurried to answer it. When he came back it was plain to all that he had learned something more about the startling case. Dave Bailey’s missing,” he began; but he got no farther. I reckon we can put two and two together,” said old Pete, glancing around over the crowd which seemed to echo his sentiment. Everyone began to talk at once and everyone had something to add to the already enormous tale. There had been a dance the night before, and both the missing men had been there. One man raid that at 12 o’clock when he was coming home he had seen them both cross the bridge and disappear into the bushes. Presently they had reappeared and stopped cn the bridge. Just then he had reached home and had seen nothing more. Perhaps if he had but waited a minute he could have prevented this crime, which would place a blot upon the history of the village forever. Since he could learn nothing more, the constable gathered his men together and set out in search of the criminal. It was hard to follow the trail for although it was midwinter, there was very little snow upon the ground, and anyone not wishing to leave a trail could easily avoid doing so. The crowd about the store gradually thinned as the day advanced, but toward noon it assembled again; the men gathered about the general store, and the women collected next door at Miss Pent's millinery shop. They were talking, of course, about the events of the morning. They discussed Abe Benton's character thor-o.ghly; they pitied his pcor old mother who had been dead ten years, and thanked heaven that he had no family to suffer from his d sgraee. Uncle Jake sat on the apple barrel in the corner and told for the fiftieth time just how and where he had found the knife; but poor old Cllory still r.tocd tied by the constable's gate, feeling anything but glorious. Presently a hush fell upon the crowd, and all eyes were turned toward the street. And then in through the open door came Abe Renton himself! For a moment no on spoke. Then Simon Bradley, who had been given the constable’s authority during the abrence cf John Andrews, stood up